TESCO last night vowed it would roll out its clampdown on people using car parks to shop elsewhere to stores across Wales.

A trial is already underway at one of its West Wales supermarkets where motorists are threatened with a £70 fine if they exceed a two-hour free parking limit.

Cameras scan car number plates and record how long each one stays. If they exceed the limit, owners are traced via data held by the DVLA and letters sent to their home warning they will be fined £70 if they do it again.

Tesco says its car parks are being used by people visiting other shops, particularly where it has town centre stores such as the branches in Carmarthen and Swansea.

But last night, the retail giant vowed to roll out the scheme at all its 61 stores if the scheme is successful.

A Tesco spokeswoman, who refused to reveal which of its shops was piloting the crackdown, said: "We've listened to our customers - they want us to find a better way of managing our car parks and we have, which is why we're trying this new scheme.

"If it's a success it will be rolled out at our other stores across Wales.

"There is nothing more frustrating than arriving at a store to do your shop and not being able to park. This scheme is going to help us ensure this doesn't happen at Tesco."